Sunday, June 5, 2016

Enjoying the Journey

I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about pursuing our goals and really setting out to achieve them. I wanted to continue that post, but focus on a different aspect of our goals. And that is enjoying the process.

Oftentimes, we give up on our goals and dreams because we only think about the end result. That is good, yes. But, we also have to love the journey to get there. We have to set goals that let us be happy trying to achieve them. Because even though thinking about the final result is often the motivator to reach it to begin with, it should not be the primary motivator. There is another important motivator for achieving our goals that we often forget. And that is being able to enjoy the whole process. The beginning, the middle, and the end. Otherwise, our dreams will not be goals at all, but merely empty fantasies. We have to work for what we love. We have to make sacrifices. To put in effort. To know that every moment we spend on our dream is worth it.

We should be able to get up in the morning and enjoy the day-to-day aspects of reaching our goals. The nitty-gritty. The drudgery. Or if we don't actually enjoy that part, at least to feel like they are worth enduring for the sake of our dream.

For example, let's say you want to become a professional piano player. And to be able to live that profession is the dream that will make you happy. If you don't enjoy getting up each day and practicing until your piano playing is perfect, than you shouldn't seek that goal to begin with. That day-to-day, in-and-out of trying to become a professional piano player should bring you joy. It will be hard. Sure. Pursuing our dreams is never easy. But, we're not here because it's easy.

We are here striving for our dreams in life because it says something. It says I want to do this because it is going to make a difference. It is going to make me happy. And it is going to please God. Those should be our primary motivators, the reasons we get up in the morning to follow our dreams. Those reasons make us able to get through the hard things because of love. And love means sacrifice, courage, determination, joy.

And one day you will be grateful for all the blood, sweat, and tears. Because you will realize they were agents of your sanctity. You suffered, and you triumphed. St. Peter says in the Epistle for Mass today: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will Himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you." And the fulfillment of your dream will have given something wonderful to God.

P.S. I am now at 200 pages in the mystery novel! Still shooting for next month sometime to publish it! Also, I just opened an Etsy Shop! Look for a post regarding that soon!

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